Open Space Radio
Open Space Radio is a podcast for park and recreation professionals and outdoor advocates that aims to share inspiring and engaging stories about community, connection, and the impact of local parks and recreation. New episodes are released every other Tuesday. Open Space Radio is the official podcast of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) — Because everyone deserves a great park.
Episodes
Each year, NRPA hosts its Park and Recreation Month Cover Contest. But before one story makes the cover of the July issue of Parks & Recreation magazine, countless submissions remind us just how powerful this work truly is.
With submissions now open for this year's Park and Recreation Month Cover Contest, this episode of Open Space Radio looks back at a few stories from last year that staye...
What does it take to increase the number of girls participating in sports? On this episode of Open Space Radio, we explore the obstacles, the breakthroughs, and how park and recreation professionals are at the center of it all.
We know sports offer lifelong physical and mental health benefits, helping girls build strength, confidence and connections. But when it comes to getting more girls ...
January is National Mentoring Month — a time to celebrate the transformative power of mentorship and spotlight the essential role park and recreation professionals play in fostering youth development in communities across the country.
On our first episode of 2026, we chat with JaCory Bazell, CPRP, CYSA, CPO, the center supervisor at Bloomfield-Gilead Recreation Center in Macon-Bibb County, ...
November is Native American Heritage Month — a time to honor and celebrate Native people in the United States. On this episode, we are resharing a conversation from 2021 with Stephanie Lozano, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation tribe and a tribal liaison for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, and Sara Sinclair, an oral historian of Cree-Ojibwa and German-Jewish ancestry, Columbia University profess...
Halloween is here, and Open Space Radio is celebrating with one of our most hauntingly fun episodes yet. In this special episode, we sit around the virtual campfire to share a few eerie tales from park and recreation professionals.
From ghostly encounters in historic parks to strange happenings at community events, this episode is packed with stories that remind us how our parks come alive ...
On this very special episode of Open Space Radio, we discuss all things 2025 NRPA Annual Conference! It's hard to believe we'll be in Orlando with thousands of our friends, colleagues and peers in just a few days.
If you'll be in Orlando, please come say hello to the Open Space team in the exhibit hall. We'll be posted up in the Open Space Lounge, which is booth #1272, right next to the NRP...
This Pride Month, we are proud to spotlight the powerful work happening in Maryland to build more inclusive and welcoming park and recreation spaces for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Way back in September 2024, Christina attended the second annual Maryland Recreation and Parks Association (MRPA) 2SLGBTQIA+ Summit at the North Laurel Community Center. As the only known state-level summit of its kind in the field of parks and recreation,...
Earlier this spring, we had the chance to attend an incredible event in Washington, D.C., where we caught up with Akiima Price, co-founder and program advisor for Friends of Anacostia Park — an organization with a mission to enrich the lives of D.C. residents by preserving the park and connecting the surrounding communities to its restoration.
We met Akiima at NatureFest, a lively week-long...
Happy Earth Month! On today's episode, we're excited to share a collaboration with NRPA's new podcast, Guardians of Greenspaces.
Guardians of Greenspaces is a podcast focused on conservation from a park and recreation maintenance lens. Hosted by Rukmini Kalamangalam, a program specialist on NRPA's community and environmental resilience team, Guardians of Greenspaces uplifts voices of exper...
On this episode of Open Space Radio, we're celebrating the incredible women in parks and recreation who are shaping the profession and making a difference in their communities.
Women have long played a vital role in parks and recreation – but it has historically been a male-dominated industry. Today, the leadership and presence of women in the profession continue to grow. In fact, within NR...
On this episode of Open Space Radio, we explore the critical role that parks and recreation plays in advancing sports opportunities for all youth — especially girls. Providing these opportunities is more than just fairness; it's about giving girls the opportunities and support they need to succeed, both on and off the field. Participation in sports is linked to increased self-esteem, better academic performance and hig...
Pictured: Teen Leaders in the HYPE program at City of Mesa Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities participate in an exercise to overcome obstacles. Photo courtesy of Blythe Brown.
Did you know that 74 percent of adults who were mentored as youth say their mentor contributed significantly to their success in life? Now, consider that more than 1 in 3 young people in America are growing u...
It's our final episode of Open Space Radio for 2024! Did you know we released 15 episodes this year and talked with 27 amazing community leaders for a whopping 758 minutes of conversation (more than 12 hours!) about the power of parks and recreation?
Thank you to everyone who joined us on the show to share their story this year and to everyone who tuned in to an episode. We truly love ampli...
Sustainability and Environmental Resilience in Parks — Episode 163
On today's episode of Open Space Radio, I'm excited to share our collab episode with GovLove Podcast, which we recorded live back in October at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference.
This was our first live episode recording — with an audience. So, besides the...
We are getting very excited to travel to Atlanta (in just one week!) to connect with thousands of our closest park and recreation friends at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference. And on today's episode, we're talking with someone who is local to ...
On today's episode, we welcome a superstar of out-of-school time programming! The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is making a huge impact on...
In less than 40 days, thousands of park and recreation professionals from across the country will gather in Atlanta for the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference. This is, without a doubt, the best park and recreation conference you can attend — it's filled with tons of amazing opportunities to learn, build your network, and of course, have a little fun with your peers.
On today's episode of Open Space Radio, we're excited to chat with someone very influential in the outdoor recreation industry who is doing a ton of good work to raise awareness about protecting our environment. Not only that, but he is also a leader when it comes to making the outdoors more equitable and accessible.
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As you may know, May was Older Americans Month, and NRPA celebrated by sharing how older adult programs in parks and recreation are making a big impact in communities across the country. On today's episode, we're excited to explore one of the most popular programs in NRPA's Healthy Aging in Parks portfolio: Tai Chi.
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As we continue to celebrate Park and Recreation Month, we're excited to highlight a story that truly embodies our theme of "Where You Belong." Today's episode is all about ensuring opportunities to recreate and spend time in nature are available to all, regardless of ability. And, it's perfect timin...
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